Written Answers Tuesday 18 December 2007

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many women have breast cancer.

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men have breast cancer.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested can be found at: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=cancer_breast_inc.xls .

Fire Service

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how fire and rescue authorities have performed against the priorities and objectives in Fire and Rescue: Framework for Scotland 2005 and what plans there are to review these.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Services are amongst the best in the world and they serve the people of Scotland with pride and professionalism. Since the publication of the Fire and Rescue Framework 2005 in October 2005, the fire and rescue authorities have made considerable progress in achieving the agreed priorities and objectives. This progress is recognised in the recent reports of both HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services and Audit Scotland (copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Bib. numbers 41202, 44156 and 42122). However, while much progress has been made, these reports note that there remains room for improvement and we will continue to work closely with the fire and rescue authorities to ensure that they respond effectively to these points.

  In addition, in recognition of the challenges ahead for the Scottish Government and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, we will review the framework within the next few months. We will work with the fire and rescue authorities and the unions to update the framework to set agreed priorities and objectives for fire and rescue authorities in a manner consistent with the government’s new partnership with local government. By so doing, we will build upon the good work already achieved and continue the progress to create a modern and resilient Fire and Rescue Service, capable of protecting Scotland in the 21st Century.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Moray Council will be able to apply to the Scottish Government for financial support toward planned flood protection and management works in 2008-09 and beyond.

Michael Russell: No. As agreed in the joint concordat, the support for flood prevention and coast protection is one of the grants which is being rolled up as part of the Local Government Settlement. The total package of funding for local government, as published in the Spending Review 2007, is £34,730 million across the period 2008-11, which is an increase of 12.6% across the period. Allocations to authorities will take account of exposure to flood risk and the status of existing flood protection schemes and these factors are significant in Moray’s case.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for Moray Council’s planned flood alleviation, protection and management will require to be found from the council’s allocation for revenue and capital funding from 2008-09 and beyond.

Michael Russell: Yes. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

  As agreed in the joint concordat, the support for flood prevention and coast protection is one of the grants which is being rolled up as part of the Local Government Settlement. The total package of funding for local government, as published in the Spending Review 2007, is £34,730 million across the period 2008-11, which is an increase of 12.6% across the period. Allocations to authorities will take account of exposure to flood risk and the status of existing flood protection schemes and these factors are significant in Moray’s case.

  Further details of the Local Government Settlement will be presented to Parliament mid-December.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for flooding will no longer be ring-fenced and local authorities such as Moray Council will have to decide on priorities between flooding expenditure and spending locally on schools, social work day centres and care homes, roads and leisure services.

Michael Russell: Yes. The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the Spending Review 2008-11. The total package of funding for local government, as published in the Spending Review 2007, is £34,730 million across the period 2008-11, which is an increase of 12.6% across the period.

  As agreed in the joint concordat, the support for flood prevention and coast protection is one of the grants which is being rolled up as part of the Local Government Settlement. Provision equivalent to the existing baseline of £126 million funding for flooding has been transferred to the local government settlement. This is equivalent to a 41% increase on the provision of £89 million as grant support by the previous administration over the last Spending Review period.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the benefits to Moray will be from a transfer of ring-fenced funding for flooding into general funds for local authorities.

Michael Russell: Each local authority will be able to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

Flood Prevention

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Water of Leith flood prevention scheme will be funded by the Scottish Government in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 and, if so, by how much in each year.

Michael Russell: The funding for flooding will be provided by means of a block grant to each local authority. It will then be the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes in service provision have been identified for patients with rheumatoid arthritis by the long-term conditions toolkit.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Community Health Partnerships Long Term Conditions Toolkit is intended to be used generically for all long-term conditions. In its first year of implementation, the focus has been on establishing the baseline for services to manage long-term conditions.

  Rheumatoid arthritis is mentioned as a potential "marker" condition when evaluating the effectiveness of the toolkit.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will evaluate the success of the long-term conditions toolkit.

Nicola Sturgeon: We intend to work with those who have completed the toolkit to review their experience of the process. This will help us to draw out and communicate widely common themes of good practice from all over Scotland. The analysis of the action plans derived from each toolkit may also reveal gaps in the pathway of care which need to be addressed.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions will be targeted in 2008 by the long-term conditions toolkit.

Nicola Sturgeon: The fundamental aim of the toolkit is to encourage generic approaches to long-term conditions in a way that encourages consistency of approach across the whole of Scotland. The action plan derived from each toolkit is intended to inform each board’s arrangements for prioritisation of services within the local health system.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for anticipatory care in respect of inflammatory arthritis.

Nicola Sturgeon: Although we can do little to reduce the risk of developing inflammatory arthritis, early intervention can reduce symptoms, improve function, and reduce deformities and damage of joints by optimising treatment. This delays the progression of disease, and improves the day-to-day functioning of individuals and therefore their mental health and wellbeing.

  Those who develop arthritis may also benefit from anticipatory interventions that address the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, found often as a co-morbidity with arthritis. One such approach is the "Keep Well" programme which provides a health check that identifies and addresses clinical, lifestyle and social needs of 45 to 64-year-olds in deprived communities.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether the £54 million to support recruitment of additional police officers is over and above the sums needed to recruit replacement officers for those due to retire over the next three years.

Kenny MacAskill: The £54 million is over and above the Police Grant, details of which were confirmed by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth as part of the Local Government Settlement on 13 December 2007. This will deliver the manifesto commitment of 1,000 officers into communities through the recruitment of additional new officers, improved retention of skilled and experienced officers, and the reinvestment of efficiency gains to redeploy officers to strengthen operational policing in our communities.

  Recruitment is a matter for individual chief constables and it will be for them to decide on overall recruitment levels.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what the estimated police pension costs are over the next three years.

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what percentage of the £54 million to support recruitment of additional police officers will be for police staffing costs and whether it is subject to efficiency savings.

Kenny MacAskill: The police pensions costs included within the local government funding settlement announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Development on 13 December 2007 are (£000):

  2008-09: 197,778

  2009-10: 232,207

  2010-11: 215,246.

  These costs are included in the wider local government settlement.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether local authorities will have to find the cost of giving more school pupils more vocational learning opportunities from within the cash settlement set under the concordat.

Fiona Hyslop: Giving more school pupils opportunities to experience vocational learning is one of twelve specified commitments in our concordat with COSLA and the Spending Review settlement to local authorities reflects this. Funding for the Scottish Funding Council also reflects its responsibility to fund college courses, including courses for school pupils. It is important that local authorities work in partnership with colleges, local employers and others as appropriate to deliver more vocational opportunities for school pupils.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether local authorities will be expected to share the costs of colleges assisting them to deliver more vocational opportunities from within the cash settlement set under the concordat.

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether colleges will be expected to meet any additional costs to local authorities in providing more vocational learning opportunities.

Fiona Hyslop: Giving more school pupils opportunities to experience vocational learning is one of twelve specified commitments in our concordat with COSLA and the Spending Review settlement to local authorities reflects this. Funding for the Scottish Funding Council also reflects its responsibilities to fund college courses, including courses for school pupils. Local authorities and colleges each have their own responsibilities for funding school/college provision. It is important that they work in partnership to deliver more vocational opportunities for school pupils.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether colleges have been given extra resources as part of the Spending Review to meet any additional costs of extending vocational learning opportunities to school students and, if so, how much has been provided.

Fiona Hyslop: Funding for the Scottish Funding Council reflects its responsibilities to fund college courses, including courses for school pupils. The college sector has been allocated additional resources as part of the 2007 Spending Review. We are currently in discussions with the Scottish Funding Council and the college sector to prioritise the investment we are making to determine how the funding can be used most effectively. We expect to issue strategic guidance to the council shortly.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what "equivalent" means in relation to kinship carers’ allowances and foster carers’ allowances.

Adam Ingram: As set out in the National Fostering and Kinship Care Strategy, "equivalent" means the rate paid by a local authority to foster carers less child benefit. That is based on the fact that foster carers, unlike kinship carers, cannot claim child benefit.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what its estimate is of the number of kinship carers likely to be eligible for new allowances.

Adam Ingram: In accordance with the concordat, it is for a local authority to determine the number of kinship carers eligible for allowance. Eligibility criteria are set out in Getting It right for every child in kinship and foster care.

  Data on the number of kinship carers of looked after children is not held centrally. National statistics show that at 31 March 2007, there were around 2,000 looked-after children living with kinship carers.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether access to a teacher for every pre-school child means having a qualified nursery teacher present in the pre-school environment.

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether access to a teacher for every pre-school child could mean the teacher being available at the end of a telephone.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government will be working with local authorities to produce guidance on providing access to a teacher in pre-school. However, we are clear that the commitment concerns teachers being present in pre-school centres.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether access to a teacher for every pre-school child should be on every day of the pre-school experience.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government will be working with local authorities to develop guidance on access to a teacher in pre-school.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what minimum personal access every pre-school child should have per day to a teacher.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government will be working with local authorities to develop guidance on providing access to a teacher in pre-school. It is not the intention, however, to set a minimum threshold as to what constitutes access to a teacher.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether achieving a (a) 10%, (b) 20% or (c) 30% increase toward the 50% increase in pre-school entitlement would be regarded as substantial progress toward delivery.

Adam Ingram: The entitlement to free pre-school education increased to 475 hours in August 2007, which is a 15% increase from the level in May 2007. The concordat includes a commitment to increase to 570 hours in August 2010 which represents a 38% increase from May 2007 entitlement. We will be working with local government to examine options for delivering the full 50% increase in 2011.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what "the entitlement to pre-school provision will be maintained at the new level" means in relation to making substantial progress toward a 50% increase in such entitlement.

Adam Ingram: The concordat with COSLA sets out the timetable for expanding pre-school education provision. The entitlement to pre-school provision will be maintained at the new level of 475 hours per annum in 2008-09 and 2009-10. This will increase to 570 hours per annum in August 2010.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, how it calculates a 50% increase in pre-school entitlement.

Adam Ingram: The baseline is the duration and level of entitlement as at May 2007. The 50% increase will be calculated from this baseline and could include increases to either level or duration of entitlement or both.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether the pilots providing free school meals for all primary 1 to primary 3 pupils will end in June 2008 and there will be no such provision between June 2008 and April 2009 at the earliest.

Adam Ingram: The concordat includes a commitment that nutritious free school meals for P1 to P3 pupils will be provided in the local authorities involved in the current trial until the end of the current academic year. It also includes a commitment that local authorities will provide free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010, if the evaluation of the trial is positive and the necessary legislation is passed by the Scottish Parliament. If a local council wanted to provide nutritious free school meals to P1 to P3 pupils before August 2010 and if the evaluation of the trial is positive the council could ask us to introduce the necessary legislation to the Scottish Parliament.

Local Government Concordat

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether local government will be a full and equal partner in any decisions on the effectiveness and benefits of rolling-out the free school meals pilot.

Adam Ingram: The concordat sets out the terms of a new relationship between the Scottish Government and local government, based on mutual respect and partnership. One of the specified commitments within the concordat is that if the evaluation of the current free school meals trials is positive, legislation will be introduced to allow extension of nutritious free school meals to all pupils in P1 to P3. Assuming the legislation is passed, local authorities will provide nutritious free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010.

Mental Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the Policy and Financial Management Review of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Shona Robison: The review is now complete and the report is being published today. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland have seen the report and in general accept the recommendations. The commission is implementing its own action plan for change following the review.

  Copies of the review and the commission’s response have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 44307 and 44308 ) and are available on the Scottish Government and Mental Welfare Commission websites: www.scotland.gov.uk/ www.mwcscot.org.uk/home/

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a report on the first three years’ progress in implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy for the purposes of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

Michael Russell: I am today publishing Scotland’s Biodiversity: It’s In Your Hands - A Progress Report 2005-07 which outlines progress on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy over the last three years. Copies are available on the Scottish Government website.

  This is the first progress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy since the strategy was published in 2004.

  It records activity on biodiversity conservation carried out by government, non-government and other organisations working in partnership. It addresses the Strategy objectives for Species and Habitats, People, Landscapes and Ecosystems, Integration and Co-ordination and Knowledge.

  The report outlines activities which the Scottish Government and other public bodies have undertaken to implement the Biodiversity Duty, which was imposed by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, which requires all public bodies in Scotland to "further the conservation of biodiversity" in carrying out their functions.

  The publication of the progress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy satisfies the requirements of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act to publish such a report by the end of 2007.

Parliamentary Questions

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average financial cost is of answering written parliamentary questions.

Bruce Crawford: The average financial cost of answering a written parliamentary question is £65.18. As this figure has not been updated since 2002 we are currently now reviewing the cost calculation.

Police

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be rolled into the local authority settlement for the Police Capital Grant in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Kenny MacAskill: The amount of police capital grant included within the local government settlement announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Development on 13 December 2007 is £26 million in each year.

  In addition, a further £5 million has been included in each year that will continue to be ring-fenced to support the development of a national ICT infrastructure.

Police

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many witnesses have reported physical harassment to the police in each of the last five years, broken down by sheriff court in the (a) West of Scotland and (b) Central Scotland parliamentary region, and what actions have been taken as a result.

Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.

Rural Affairs

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that farmers and crofters are represented on regional project assessment committees.

Richard Lochhead: The membership of the Regional Proposal Assessment Committees (RPACs) is restricted to officials from public bodies, primarily Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forestry Commission (FCS), the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and an enterprise representative from the local enterprise companies (LEC) or a relevant local authority.

  The decision to restrict the membership to public officials was taken in response to a strong view expressed by a number of different stakeholders during the consultation on the Strategy Plan in summer 2006, that applicants would be very uncomfortable with confidential business and financial information being open to scrutiny by private sector bodies or individuals.

  However, the RPACs have involved a range of private and third sector stakeholders and representative bodies, including those representing farmers and crofters, in the process of setting the regional priorities against which all funding proposals will be assessed, and will continue to engage with these bodies on the priorities and the operation of the programme as it goes forward to full implementation.

Sewerage

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether complaints related to sewerage odour nuisance have reduced since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Sewerage Nuisance.

Michael Russell: The numbers of complaints in recent years are:

  2005-06: 734

  2006-07: 759

  2007-08 (to date): 596 (compared with 645 at the corresponding date last year).

Sewerage

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the odour ratings of each site at which sewerage odour nuisance has been recorded since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Sewerage Nuisance.

Michael Russell: No. The odour rating formula included in the Code of Practice is a tool to assist operators and regulators assess whether an odour nuisance may exist. It is not designed to determine accurately odour nuisance, which is the responsibility of the local authority Environmental Health Officer.

Sewerage

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints about odour have been made since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Sewerage Nuisance.

Michael Russell: The Code of Practice on Sewerage Nuisance came into force on 22 April 2006.There were 759 complaints on odour in 2006-07 and there have been 596 odour complaints in 2007-08 to date.

Sewerage

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water met all required compliance dates for the Code of Practice on Sewerage Nuisance.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government are monitoring Scottish Water and their PFI operators compliance with the Code through the Scottish Odour Steering Group, and can advise the vast majority of required compliance dates have been met, and the remaining two requirements are being progressed.

  The compliance with regulatory deadlines is as follows:

  

 Preparation of Phase I OMP
 1 August 2006
 Fully compliant


 Preparation of Phase II OMP
 1 January 2007
 Fully compliant


 Preparation of Phase III OMP
 1 April 2007
 Fully compliant


 Operational controls
 1 April 2007
 Maintenance schedules are being developed to comply


 Training
 1 July 2007
 Fully compliant


 Preparation of first phase of OIP
 1 April 2007
 Fully compliant


 Odour control limits
 1 August 2007
 Investigation to assess compliance to be carried out